Just noticed that post 2018.  How are you now.  

Hi Margaret,

It's great to reach the end of treatment. I hope that you have felt well since. I hope that the trip to South Africa goes well. Enjoy!

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi, I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Feb 6 and had a WLE on 27 Feb.  This has turned out to be grade 3 triple negative.   I have a sentinel node biopsy on 2 Apr - the nodes looked clear on scan but they are double-checking.  I've had a CT scan already and a bone scan soon.  To say I'm terrified would be a massive understatement.  There's now no avoiding chemo which I'm dreading and so worried that the scans will show something suspicious elsewhere.  Thank you for the inspiring stories of recovery but this is even scarier than other forms of breast cancer and I just needed to express how I'm feeling!

HI Wallflower,

A very warm welcome to our forum, although I'm sorry for the reason that you've joined us. The way you are feeling is perfectly normal at this stage. Believe it or not, you will feel better once you get the results of your biopsy and, know exactly what is planned for you.

I know that this is not a good form of cancer to be lumbered with, but you will get the strength to see it through. There are still many inspiring stories from people with triple negative, grade 3. If you go to the blue banner at the top of this page and insert triple negative in the search box, then click, you will find previous posts on this topic.

Please keep in touch as you travel your cancer journey. We are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Wallflower, 

im so sorry you find yourself in this position, it's a dreadful place to find yourself. I was in your position in Dec 2018. Diagnosed triple negative, grade 3, 3 different tumours in my right breast, the third and largest the only found when placing the wires the morning of my op. I had a WLE and sentinel node biopsy which thankfully came back clear. The hardest part is most definitely the not knowing and the waiting to find out. Everything after that you can psych yourself up for and deal with one day/step at a time. I went through 7 rounds of chemo, and 4 weeks of radiotherapy (there was some ambiguity about whether it had spread to my nipple, so I lost that and had to have extra radiotherapy-funnily enough that was harder than my hair)

chemo is different for everyone, keep a dialogue going with everyone taking care of you about how you feel, IF you feel sick or have pain or any of the other side effects let people know, often there are ways of dealing with it, but it's different for everyone and you may not suffer too badly.

Find support groups if you need them, Macmillan helped me a lot claiming benefits when I had to give up work, and gave me a grant. A local based charity ran make up sessions, did massage, had counsellors and had people to come and share ways to tie scarves and had a range of chemo caps. Another charity run by women who had been through breast cancer gave me pillows after my op to help me sleep more comfortably and had monthly meetings. The point is you are not alone unless you choose to go through it alone. 

Triple Negative is incredibly scary, but you can come out the other side, take it day by day, and deal with it your way 'this too will pass'

Good luck with your journey, don't lose hope, TNBC is survivable!
 

Thanks for your kind and welcoming replies.  It's always comforting to hear from people on the other side.  Unfortunately I'm now worrying that coronavirus is going to complicate things - I'm now feeling well enough to go out and seek distractions before my next op but am basically self-isolating to try and avoid getting ill and messing up the next stage of my treatment!  

That's understandable. Could you try some meditation or gentle yoga at home? My go to at the moment is walking in the countryside, it's probably as safe as outdoor can be at the moment and it definitely lifts my soul.

Im glad you're feeling better after the op. I hope you get some positive news from your biopsy. Remember, there are still plenty of people get through this x

I've never tried either yoga or meditation.  I'm usually an extremely rational personal whose main approach to life is to laugh at it, but I seem to have morphed into an anxious mess who is convinced that every twinge is alarming!  Hubby and I did go for a good walk today which was extremely helpful so I think you're right that that's a good thing to do.

Thanks for the encouragement.  It does help x

Hi Wallflower,

Welcome and sorry its not a welcome to a better group to join! I found the headspace app (particularly the course on cancer) to be an enormous help to me while i was going through chemo. Some other good advice i had was just take it week by week, focus on all the good stuff each week, and if a week seems to big take it day by day. I found the diagnosis and the gap before treatment begins to be by far the worst part of it all, it gets easier. 
 

Sending you lots of positive thoughts xxx

Thanks, much appreciated x

Hi, Wallflower,

your emotions and feelings are totally normal, you've had a massive shock. Once you get beyond your node biopsy things will start to settle again. You may even find your sense of humour again, I did, and it helped a lot, especially when I broke my leg in the middle of my treatment! Be kind to yourself, let others spoil you, spoil yourself. Things are improving all the time and the statistics we are seeing now are for people who were diagnosed 5 years ago. You sound like the kind of person that once the initial shock is over and you know exactly what you are dealing with will cope with whatever treatment they throw at you. Good luck! X

Hi

sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I would like to give you hope. I was diagnosed with grade 3 triple negative breast cancer in 2003 when I was 40. Throughout my journey, after the initial devastation, I stayed positive, which I feel is very important. It is a difficult journey but I always told myself that this was part of the process of getting better, this made me look forward and cope better. I had a lumpectomy at first but after results I neede 6 months of chemo and then a mastectomy. After 17 years I still remember what it was like and certain things actually make me feel sick as it takes me back, like a certain perfume that I wore then. How ever I look on this as a positive as it reminds me that I should enjoy life. 
I hope that you cope well with your journey and keep positive. Xx

Hi

sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I would like to give you hope. I was diagnosed with grade 3 triple negative breast cancer in 2003 when I was 40. Throughout my journey, after the initial devastation, I stayed positive, which I feel is very important. It is a difficult journey but I always told myself that this was part of the process of getting better, this made me look forward and cope better. I had a lumpectomy at first but after results I neede 6 months of chemo and then a mastectomy. After 17 years I still remember what it was like and certain things actually make me feel sick as it takes me back, like a certain perfume that I wore then. How ever I look on this as a positive as it reminds me that I should enjoy life. 
I hope that you cope well with your journey and keep positive. Xx

Such a hopefull and uplifting post Alteso. Thanks so much for sharing.  I was in chemo this time last year. It’s devastating news and so scary.  I feel really in good health (I hope ) so your positivity is great to hear. Thank you x

Thanks for your positive message.  I hope I can be as upbeat and determined as you are!

Hello All

Its 11:18pm and I'm in 12 week lockdown as I've finished my radiation treatment so I'm going to share with you my journey so please bare with me x

Last year on the 11th May I was having a lovely time out with my Daughter (pre teen) while my Son (late teens) was out with mates until we met up to go wish my mum a happy birthday then headed home so I could get ready to head to a friends bbq birthday bash (mums night off). I was in the shower and did my weekly check when I found a lump in my left breast near my arm pit, I don't know why but I just new it was breast cancer.

i got dressed painted a smile on my face and went out, the next day told my parents then on the Monday headed to my doctors. 
he said I think it's a cyst but I'll book u into be seen.

3 weeks later I had my scan and biopsy to be told yes your correct it is really likely it is breast cancer, 7 days after that I was told it was triple negative breast cancer and my Son was with me when I got told my reply was when do I start chemotherapy can I start next week.
 

The biggest mistake I did was googled it and I cried my self to sleep every night but kept a smile on my face around my family.

my mum came with me to meet my Oncolgy nurse but watching my mum cry made me there and then decide to cut my family out of treatment if I was going to get though it.

So my first ever chemotherapy treatment of docetaxel 1 hour and carboplatin 30 minutes went well the cold cap on the other hand was extreme 10 minutes I could not open my eyes. But my friend got me though it by talking rubbish n squeezing my hand.

I had constipation badly after my first chemotherapy treatment and it was caused by the amount of medication I had to take.

But I found things that worked for me though all 6 cycles of chemo I had (I hated the nasty injections n counted down the days until I did my last one yay lol) and having my friends though my treatment and my family for side effects worked for me.

After Chemo I was booked for a lumpectomy and facing going to sleep unnaturally scared me more then chemo ever did to the point I asked the anaesthesiologist (who was cute) to just knock me out with a frying pan. Before I new it was was out of theatre and up about n sent out with a nasty itchy corset I had to wear for a week.

Im at the stage of waiting for Oncolgy to sign me off back to my breast doctor after having 4 weeks of daily intense radiotherapy treatment.

i won't lie I had dark dark days but what got me though it all was my Family and my Friends.
I'm breast cancer free at the moment and will continue to be even though I worry every day it will come back.

So my advice for you all 

do not google anything 

get a brilliant support network around you (including nutty friends lol) 

ask questions when having treatment they don't mind

smile and laugh (it will do u more good then you realise)

cry when you need to

find a right balance that works for you not what works for other people

finally tell your cancer to go away that you will kick it's *** (yep that may seem mad but it made me feel in control)

Hugs to you all as your all amazing 

xx

ps sorry it's long x

Fab story Annjo8!!

So heartwarming and recognisable to me as a way forward. I have had an easier journey than you but despite that the laughs and dark days have all been there. 

I send you much love and hopes for many continued happy and healthy days. 

 Go well

Kebb x x 

Hi.

can I ask what chemotherapy regime you had? 
I have had lumpectomy and now started chemotherapy 

lou

Hi Lou,

Hope you are keeping well. I was diagnosed in September 2019 with triple negative. I had 12 weeks of paclitaxol and carboplatin followed by 2 rounds of EC. I responded really well to chemo so didn't need the final round of EC. I then had a lumpectomy after the chemo and 3 weeks of radiotherapy. All finished now and i have been given the all clear. Yes!!! What chemo have you got planned? 
 

Wish you all the best in your treatment, stay positive, you've got this! xxx

Hi Lou,

I hope you have found your own way to navigate the cancer journey. I'm out the other side (given all clear in December) and waiting for my op to 'balance things out.

Like you, I had my op first then the chemo, followed by radiotherapy.

i had 7 rounds of chemotherapy, once every three weeks - except when things didn't go to plan, be prepared for that, I wasn't and it really got me down the first time. Not to say it will happen, but it might, if you're ready for it I think you'll be less upset than I was.

I had 3 rounds of epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, everyone is different my first I felt like death for a day or two after, but quickly picked up and just felt tired which gradually wore off as the days between treatments went on, at times I felt perfectly fine. I told them about how unwell I felt and they changed my nausea medication which worked like a charm, felt a bit off for 24 hours then fine. I had a lot of issues with phlebitis and lots of people told me to get a picc or central line, but there was a lot of clock ups at the hospital and by the time I got an appointment I'd only one treatment left to do!

i then had 4 rounds of carboplatin and paclitaxel weekly, but after a few weeks I had to giv3 up the taxol as it was causing really bad side effects. The oncologist said he thought it would have little impact on my prognosis though.

everyone reacts differently to the chemo, and I have to say most of the time I felt mildly tired or absolutely fine. My main issues were with inflamed veins, which improved after the ec treatment, and crippling stomach cramps after the paclitaxel, for a few days. The oncologist thought that the toxicity was probably too high for me. I had 3 tumours in one breast but none in my lymph nodes which is why they zapped it so hard.

i hope the rest of your journey goes smoothly, you will be out the other side surprisingly quickly.

love and positivity

wonky.

Do you mind me asking what the problems were that you had with the paclitaxel?  I'm in my first cycle of four of EC and then have twelve weekly cycles of taxol and four of carboplatin after that - just wondering what might be in store.

Glad you're on the home straight now

I don't mind you asking at all,

for me, it was really bad stomach cramps which had me doubled up for a couple of days. They would just start to ease and then I'd have my next lot and they'd get slightly worse, I think I managed to get through about 5 or 6 weeks, there were issues trying to see my oncologist, once I did he stopped it straight away. 
 

I have got ongoing digestive issues anyway, I have wheat and oat intolerance, a hiatus hernia, and reflux, as well as lower digestive tract sensitivity, so I don't think it was surprising I struggled so much. As I say, he said it wouldn't make a huge difference to stop it at that point.

Thank you, so lovely to hear ️